Just For You

 Hello there my crafty friends!  Every year the blog post that I write for today is always one of the hardest for me. March 8th was my Dad's birthday and he passed away three years ago.  I have chosen a card that I think he would have loved too, as I designed it with him in mind.  Clean and simple in design, straight forward and very masculine.  It is a bit a long post today and I will start with the card description first, then I have reprinted a column that my Dad sent me years ago at the end of the post.  Many of you will remember it from years passed.  For today's card,
I selected a piece of chestnut card and used the new Snakeskin 8" x 8" embossing folder for texture.  Once embossed, I ran a Walnut Stain distress pad very lightly over the top to add some variegation to the colour.  I matted it with milk card, then black card.  Next I cut the Times Square in black and used a simple square die in the centre to create a frame.  I added mounting foam to the back to raise it for dimension.  I cut the Union Square in milk card and seated it in the centre of the frame.  Next I cut Madison Square smaller square in Chestnut card.  I used a slightly larger square to mat it in black.  I used the smaller die in the Union Square to create a frame for my sentiment and mounted it with foam over it.  I used a thin line black pen to darken the stitched look around the smaller square, so it looks like leather.  I finished the card with a milk pierced mat, a thin black mat and a final milk coloured mat.  The finished dimensions are 8" x  8" in size.

My Dad sent me this "Lessons in Life" column many years ago. It is sort of a tradition now that I reprint it every year on his birthday.  I hope you don't mind, but it always brings me peace on what would have been his 95th birthday.  I hope you can take something valuable from it with you as I have. Each year I find that something else strikes a chord with me from it. What number from the list do you identify with most?

LESSONS OF LIFE .Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio "To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more: 1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch. 5. Pay off your credit cards every month. 6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone. 8. It's OK to get angry 9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. 10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. 11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. 12. It's OK to let your children see you cry. 13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it. 15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks. 16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. 17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. 18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger. 19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. 20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer. 21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special. 22. Over prepare, then go with the flow. 23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple. 24. The most important sex organ is the brain. 25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you. 26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?' 27. Always choose life. 28. Forgive everyone everything. 29. What other people think of you is none of your business. 30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time. 31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 33. Believe in miracles. 34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do. 35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. 36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young. 37. Your children get only one childhood. 38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. 39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. 40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back. 41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 42. The best is yet to come.. 43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 44. Yield. 45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift." Remember that I will always share my spoon with you! Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves I think that we all need to take a few moments every day and be grateful and appreciative of what we have.

I love you Dad!

All for now, Sue x

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